Coating device for metallic strips



July 15 19.24. "1,501,764

W. E. FLINT COATING DEVICE FOR METALLIC STRIPS Filed April 8, 1922 2 sheets-Sheet l July 15 1924. 1,501,764

a VV. E. FLJN1' COATING DEVICE FOR METALLIC STRIPS Filed April 8, 22 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES WARREN E. FLINT, 0F PAIJISADES PARK, NEW JERSEY.

CO'ATING DEVICE FOR METALLIC STRIPS.

Application filed April 8, 1922, Serial No. 550,825.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN E. FLINT, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Palisades Park, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improveme-nts in and Relating to Coating Devices for Metallic Strips,- of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which the invention relates to make and use the same, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the art of coating thin ribbons or strips of metal or wire with a plastic material such, for example, as celluloid dissolved in a volatile liquid, with or without suitable coloring materials and inert loading or thickening materials; and the principal object of my invention is to provide a device or machine for such purposes which may be more conveniently operated and' controlled, and which will be more reliable in its operation thanprior machines; and which will apply the coating to the strip in a more perfect manner, and produce a better and more uniform product, than has heretofore commonly been the case.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved form of die and holder therefor through which the strip passes in such machines; the same, in addition to having features of construction whereby .the parts are better held in proper relation to one another, having also features whereby uniformity in the thickness of the material upon both surfaces Of thG strip is more certainly secured thanin. dies as heretofore made andused.

A further objeot'of my invention is to provide certain improvements in and relating to coating applying devices and to the coating art whereby the presence of air bubbles beneath the coating, with 'resulting roughness in the coating and holes therein due to the breaking of the thin walls of the bubbles, is"avoide d, and a smooth and uniform coating thus secured.

With the above and other objects of invention in view my invention consists in the improved coating applying machine, mechanism or device, and in improvements in and relating to the coating art illustrated in the accompanying drawings and hereinafter described and finally claimed; and in such variations and modifications thereof, within the scope of the concluding claims, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my invention relates.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification and wherein the preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a view .showing my'invention in front elevation. Figure 2 is a view showing a section thereof upon a vertical plane indicated by the line 2, 2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view showin amodified form of inlet conduit throu l i which the metallic tape or ribbon to e coated enters the coating applying device.

Figure 4 is a view of the valve or cut-off mechanism of the device upon a vertical transverse plane indicated by the line 4, 4, Figure 2, upon a larger scale than said Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing a section upon planes indicated by the broken line 5, 5, Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a view showing the die carrying sleeve of my improved coating applying mechanism in perspective.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing thetwo die members of my device separate from one another.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like parts are designated by the same reference numerals in the" various views: reference numeral 8 designates a suitable hollow housing or casing to which the coating material is supplied through a suitable pipe 9; the materialbeing in a plastic or semi-liquid condition, and the same being supplied to the casing and to the coating applying elements or dies under pressure produced, for example, by supplying air under pressure to a closed storage reservoir which contains the plastic material, and! from which the pipe 9 leads to the casing 8, as will be understood.

Extending across the housing 8 and preferably made separate therefrom is a valve casing 10 circular in. cross section, and shown as in the form of a tube the ends of which extend through openings in opposite walls of said housing 8; said tubular valve casing being held in assembled relation with the housing in any way, as by means of a flange 11 at one end thereof and a-collar 12 The.

at the other end, which collar is in threaded I engagement with said tubular casing, as shown. Preferably the housing and the receptacle from which the plastic material is supplied thereto is made large enough to accommodate a plurality of valve casings and coating applying dies associated therewith, so as to provide for the coating of several strips or ribbons at the same time; the housing illustrated being provided with two such valve casings so that two strips ina iyk be coated simultaneously.

7 1e valve casing 10 is stationary or non.- rotatable, and the same is provided with a plurality of circumferentially arranged ports 13 spaced apart from one another, and preferably inclined in the direction in which the strip moves through the machine, as shown in Figure 2; and the reference numeral 14 designates a hollow tubular member fitting loosely within the member 10 so as to be capable of rotary movement therein (or rather of angular movement limited in extent by suitable stops as will hereinafter appear), and which valve member has a series of ports 15 adapted to register with said ports 13, as shown in Figure 5, or to move out of registry with said ports 13 upon angular movement being imparted to thevalve'. This valve 14: is retained in place Within the casing 10 in any suitable way as by an inwardly extending flange 16 of the collar 12 which overlies a shoulder at one end thereof, and a ledge 17 integral with the member 10 at the other end of the valve; and an operating handle 18 is operatively connected with said valve whereby angular movement may be imparted thereto-to move its ports 15 into and out of registry with the ports 13 in the valve casing 10, as will be appreciated; Figure 4 shows the handle in an intermediate position; and suitable means such as a slot 19 inithevalve and a set screw 20 extending through the casing thereof are provided for limiting the angular movement of the said valve. In the embodiment of my invention illustrated an angular or rotary movement of about 30 degrees is provided for, which is sufficient to secure the registration of the ports and the cutting oilv action for which the valve is provided; although it will be understood that the amount of angular movement necesas above described and in sary in any particular case is dependent upon the circumferential extent of the ports which, as well also as the number, of pairs of registering ports, may be varied without departing from my invention; as the same is in no way limited to these detailsvof construction and arrangement of rotatable or an larly movable valve 1 mechanism provided as hereinbefore explained.

The reference numeral 21 designates a die carrying member or sleeve shown as tubular in form with its inner end extending into and fitting closely within the valve 14; as

memes at 22, and. the outer end of which is flanged at 23 and fits within a recess in the casing member 10; said sleeve being movable from the valve and easing so that diiferent sizes of dies (which are permanently assembled with their respective sleeves) may be readily used in any particular machine. The die carrying sleeve is preferably properly positioned by one or more 'dowell pins; and the same is held in place by a readily removable ring 24: in threaded engagement with the flange 11, and having an inwardly extending flange which engages the outer end of the die carrying member at 25, Obviously the die carrying member is nonrotatably held in position when in use, while the valve member 14 is freely rotatable about said member at the joint 22.

The die proper of my improved coating applying device is shown as cylindrical in form and as permanently assembled within the die carrying member 21, and as made up of or comprising two semi-cylindrical die members or parts 26, 26 which when assembled within the die carrying sleeve provide a. rectangular passage extending between the die members and through which the ribbon or strip of material to be coated passes, the strip being indentified by the letter -A-, and the passage by the numeral 27 in Figure 1; said passage being preferably provided by registering grooves 28 extending along the. meeting faces of the die members and the inner end of said passages being flared as shown in" Figure 2, so as to facilitate the threading of the advancing end of the strip through the die and the forward movement thereof without binding at the entrance end of the die. These die members have holes 29, 30'formed in them. and which register with holes 31, 32 provided in the die holding sleeve 21; whereby the passage 27 is placed in communication with an annular space 33 surrounding the die holder 21 so that the coating material which enters said space through the several pairs of ports 13, 15 may flow to-the upper and under sides of the strip being coated. and around the edges thereof as the strip is narrower than the width of the opening in the die, as will be understood.

In strip coating mechanisms having.v dies which the strip is subjected to opposing forces actingupward and downward thereupon it is foun in practice that if the passages through which the coating material flows to the upper and under surfaces of the strip are of equal areas, the coating upon the upper surface of the strip is thicker than that upon the under surface; this being due, according'to my understanding, to a settling of the strip within. the die passage accentuated, probably, b a pulling down action of the unsupporte portion of coated strip beyond readily reness upon both sides of the strip secured,-

by ma ing the passage through which the coating flows to the under side of the strip of greater area than the passage through -which the material flows to the upperside of the strip; thus according to my under standing subjecting the under surface of the strip to an upward pressure greater than the downward pressure acting upon the upper surface of the strip and counteracting the tendency of the strip to settle within the die 0 ening. This difference in area is preferab y secured by making the hole 29 in the lower die member slightly larger than the hole 30 in the upper member and, while the sizes of the holes and the difierence in their areas necessary to equalize the thickness of the coating varies in different widths of strip, and with the areas of the holes, I have found that when coating a strip approximately half an inch (1/2) wide, and fifteen thousandths of an inch (.015) thick, holes fifteen sixtyfourths of an inch (15/64 in diameter in the upper die member, an three eighths of an inch (3/8) in diameter in thelower member, will secure substantially a-uniform thickness in the coating upon each side of the strip; the coating upon each surface of the finished strip being about five thousandths of an inch (.005") in thickness upon each surface.

It will be appreciated that the die before described and which constitutes one feature or part of my invention has no separate and distinct guide for the strip, the entire passage along which the strip passes being provided by the die members 26, 26 and located between them; and that inasmuch as these die members are heldin permanently fixed relation to and within the die supporting sleeve 21 there is no possibility of parts of the die portion of the device (regarded in its entirety and as including the sleeve) becoming misplaced relative to one another in removing and replacing the dies; it being appreciated that it is fre uentl y necessary to cut off the supply of p astic material by rotating the valve 14 and remove the die carrying member, in order to clean the die or to substitute another of different size therefor to thereby provide for the coating of a difierent size of strip; and that upon such occasions the hereinentire die mechanism of the machine is removable and replaceable a'sa single unitary structure.

In order to prevent air from being carried along with the strip into the vicinity where the coating is being applied thereto where itwould be trapped (because of the high pressure and viscous character of the coating material) and result in bubbles in the coating, I pass the strip through a body of sealing liquid just before it reaches the die; so that the strip is thoroughly Wetted and carries a thin film of the sealing liquid along with it and into the vicinity at which the coating material is supplied thereto.

The sealing liquid employed should be one similar in character to the solvent contained in the coating material in order that the film of sealing material may not interfere with the formation of a proper bond between the.coating material and the surface of the strip. Inasmuch as the coating material most frequently used consists mainly of celluloid dissolved in acetone, I employ acetone as the sealing liquid; as then the film, being identical with the solvent, combines therewith to form a more perfect bond between the coating and the strip.

The sealing liquid, however, need not be identical with the solvent material solong as it is. of such a character as not to act as a repellant in the formation of proper bond; as the advantages of excluding air and wetting the surface of the strip will as a matter of course be secured with sealing liquids of widely different characters.

The liquid seal is provided by a conduit made up of an angular coupling member 34 connected with the valve 14 by a short nipple 35, and having a short upwardly extending pipe section 36, so that when liquid is supplied through said section the level thereof willbe well above the level of the die passage 27 or, as shown in Figure 3, a detachable union 37 may be interposed between a nipple 38 similar to the nipple 35, and a coupling member 39 similar to the coupling 34. This last described arrangement of conduit permits a new length of strip to be coated to be introduced into the die somewhat more easily than in the form shown in Figure 2, the coupling member 39 being first removed by disconnecting the union as will be appreciated; and permits increased head of sealing liquid by the use of a longer pipe section 36 without interfering with the threading of new strips into the die should a greater head of sealing liquid than indicated in Figure 2 be deemed desirable.

Having thus described and explained my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a strip coating device, hollow valve casing and valve members arranged concenvand to a strip to be coated.

2. In a strip coating device, two concentrically arranged members one of which is rotatable relative to the other, and which members have ports adapted to register with and to move out of communication with one another; a die arranged within and extending longitudinally of the inner of said members and having a passage through which a strip may pass; and means for sup-- plying a plastic coating material through the passage provided by said ports and to a strip to be coated.

3. In a strip coating device, an external hollow housing and a arranged within the same; a rotatable tn bular valve member located within said casing; means for preventing longitudinal movement of said tubular valve member; ports in said casing and valve adapted to register with and to move out of communication with one another; a die carrying member arranged within said valve member; a die carried by said die carrying mem her and having a passage through which a strip may pass; and openings in said die carrying member and through which a plastic coating material supplied through said ports may flow to a strip to be coated 4. In a strip coating device, an external hollow housing and an internal tubular valve casing spaced a art therefrom, and which casing is provi ed with a series of ports; a rotatable tubular valveqmember located within and having ports adapted to be moved into and out of communication with the ports in said casing; a die carrying sleeve supported b said tubular casing an extending into an along said tubular valve member; and a diearranged within and extending along said die carrying sleeve and having a passage through which a strip may pass; said sleeve having openings through which a plastic coating material supplied through I strip to be coated" 5. In a strip coatin device, a stationary die having apassa t ugh which a strip may pass; a rotate '10 valve member concern trically arranged relative to said die; means for preventing r10 'tudinal movement of valve member; a .istationarylvalve casiu'g surrounding said valve and having a tubular valve casingsaid ports may how to a plurality of portsadapted to register with a like number of ports in saidvalve member; and a hollow housing surrounding said valve casing.

6. In a strip tubular die carrying sleeve. having oppositely disposed openings leading thereiuto; a die located within and extending along said sleeve and having a passage through which a strip may pass; a rotatable tubular valve member surrounding coating device, a stationarysaid die carrying sleeve; a stationary valve casing having a plurality of ports adapted to register with a like number of ports in said valve mem her, and a hollow housing surrounding said valve casing. J

7. In a strip coating device, a stationary tubular valve casing and a die carrying sleeve carried thereby and located within and spaced apart therefrom; a rotatable tubular valve arranged within said casing and between the same and said die carrying slee e; ports in said valve and easing whereby the flow of plastic coating material to said die carrying sleeve may be controlled;

a hollow housing surrounding said tubular valve casing; and a die arranged Within and extending along said die carr ing sleeve and having a passage through which a strip to-be coated may pass. e a p 8. In a strip coating device, a hollow mem her through which a strip may pass; a die having apassage through which the strip asses; means for supplying a plastic coat mg material to the strip to thereby coat the same; and means for providing a liquid seal within said hollow member and about the strip as it passes therethrough.

9. Ina strip coating device, a hollow tubular member and a conduit connected therewith and extending upward therefrom and through which conduit and tubular member a strip may pass; a die arranged adjacent the outlet end of said tubular member; and means for supplying a plastic coating material to said strip to thereby coat the same. g 10. In a strip coating device, a hollow tu bnlar member and a conduit connected therewith and extending upward t erefrom, and through which conduit and nbular memher a strip may pass; a die carrying sleeve extending into said tubular member; a die located within said sleeve and having a. passage through which a strip may ass; a hollow housing surrounding said tn ular member; and a passage leading from said housing to said die and through which a plastic coating material may be supplied to a strip as it passes therethrough.-

11. In a. stri member throng and a die having a passa the strip plastics; a conduit communicat with 881d ollow member in line with sai e through which 'a liquid seal about the strip an die, and extending upwardly from said member to thereby provide a liquid se'al within said member; and a union included in said: conduit and whereby the upwardl extend ing portion thereofmay be detac ed from the portion connected with and leading into said tubular member. J

12. In a strip coating device, a die having .a passa e through which a strip may pass; means or supp ying .a plastic coating material to the strip; andmeans for (providing through which the same passes before the coating material is applied thereto.

13. In the art ofcoating astrip with a plastic material containing a volatile solvent by supplying the material to the strip as'the same asses through a suitable die, the step whic consists in causing the strip to pass through a liquid seal of the same general character as the solvent before the coating material issupplied to the strip; and then applying the coating material to the stri Iii/In the art of coating a strip with a plastic material containing acetone by supplying the material to the strip as it passes through a suitable die, the step which consists in causing the strip to pass through an acetone bath before the coating material is supplied thereto; and then applying the coatin material to the strip.

15'. n a strip coating dev1ce,a-.die through which a strip may pass; and passages through which a plastic coating material may be supplied simultaneously to both the upper and the under surfaces of the strip, the area of the last mentioned passage being greater than that of the first mentioned passage.

16. In a strip coating device, a die having a passage through which a strip may pass, and oppositely located holes through WlllCll a plastic coating material may flow simultaneously to both the upper and the under surfaces-of the strip; the latter of said holesbeing of greater area than the former.

17. In a strip coatin device, a die having a passa e through which a strip may pass; means or supp ying a lastic coating material simultaneously to hoththe upper and under surfaces of the strip. as it passes through the die; and means whereby a preponderance of force acting upwardly u on the under surface of the strip is secured uring the coating operation.

18. In a strip coating device, a tubular die carrying sleeve; and two die members located within said sleeve and having longitudinally extending grooves which register to provide a passage through which a strip may pass; said die members having each a hole through which plastic coating material may flow into said passage.

19. In a strip coating device, a tubular die carrying sleeve; and two die members located within said sleeve and having longitudinally extending grooves which register toprovide a passage through which a strip may pass; said die members having each a hole intermediate its ends and through which plastic coating material maly flow into said passage and one of which ho es is larger than the other. i

20. In a strip coating device, an external hollow housing and means for supplying a plastic coating material thereto under pressure; a tubular valve casing extending across and the ends of which aresu ported in openings in oppositely dispose walls of said housing; a rotatable tubular valve member operable within and having ports co'-operating with ports in said valve casing; operating means whereby said valve may be rotated to an extent suflicient to move the ports therein into and outof communication with the ports in said valve casing; a die carrying sleeve supported by said valve. casing an extending into said valve, and the inner end of which forms a tight sliding joint with the having-a threaded connection with said valve casing, and a flange engaging said die carrying sleeve ,to thereby'hold it in place; and a die carried by said die carrying sleeve and through which a strip to be coated may pass, and which die is in communication with the ports aforesaid in said. valve and casing members.

21. In a strip coating device, an external holl ow housing and meansfor supplying a plastic coating material thereto under pressure; a tubular valve casing extending across and the'ends of which are supported in openings in. oppositely disposed walls of said housing; a rotatable tubular valve member operable within and having ports co-operating with portsin said valve casing; operating means whereby said valve may be rotated to an extent sufficient to move the ports therein into and out of communication with the ports in said valve casing; a die carr ing .90 inner surface of said valve; a holding ring ing sleeve to thereby hold it in place; a die carried by said die carrying sleeve and through which a strip to be coated ma pass, and which die is in communication with the orts aforesaid in said valve and casing members; and a conduit connected with the interior of said tubular valve member and extending upwardly above the level thereof, 

